SBLMNL,

I do understand why you feel that way. What concerns me is that I was in the exact same situation when I made my decision to have surgery. I was terribly depressed and desperate. In that state of mind, it's easy to blame the depression on a very undesirable, embarrassing and annoying physical condition. All of our problems seem way worse when we are depressed. One of the primary aspects of severe depression is the inability to judge things objectively.

In retrospect, I see that my emotional defenses were weak and my ability to cope with my inherited condition was badly diminished. That makes a person an easy target for people and organizations that offer "miracle cures".

I know that I'm repeating myself, but I'm here to tell you that hyperhidrosis sucks no matter where it is located. If hyperhidrosis on the head sends you into a deep depression, then hyperhidrosis on the trunk, groin and legs will do the same thing. The surgery only displaces the hyperhidrosis to those locations. It does not cure it. That is a fact that cannot be avoided. "Compensatory sweating" is just an innocuous-sounding euphemism for displaced hyperhidrosis. Don't let the surgeon's word games distract you from the truth.

The truth is that you want to sweat like a normal, average person. That's what everyone with hyperhidrosis wants. But, that's not what ETS does.

I also understand your aversion to trying antidepressants. I felt the same way about them. But, it can't hurt to try. Medication has the advantage of being something you can "try". If it doesn't work or you don't like the effects, you just stop taking it. Same goes for the topical and oral medications that you can use to treat your hyperhidrosis.

I know a lot of folks (myself included), opt for surgery because they don't like drugs and the surgery is permanent. Well, that sword cuts both ways. If you find that after the surgery you have more problems than before, there's no going back.

I'll end with a final note. Although some of the people who get ETS are glad they did, the majority are people with palmer hyperhidrosis. For facial hyperhidrosis, the satisfaction rate is really low.

You are a young man and you have plenty of time to try the alternatives. Keep that in mind.

Take care and good luck.